| Key figures (KEUR) | 01/01 – 30/09/2015 | 01/01 – 30/09/2014 (adjusted) | Change |
| Sales | 136,614 | 127,220 | +7.4 % |
| EBIT | 7,271 | 4.381 | +66.0 % |
| Group net result | 3,801 | 1,977 | +92.3 % |
| Earnings per share (EUR) | 0.24 | 0.13 | +84.6 % |
Berlin, 29 October 2015 – The PSI Group obtained 7.4 % higher sales of 136.6 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 127.2 million Euros) in the first nine months of 2015. The EBIT increased, despite continued strong investments in software technology, by 66 % to 7.3 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 4.4 million Euros). The group net result improved by 92 % to 3.8 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 2.0 million Euros). The volume of new orders was, at 149 million Euros, 12 % above the value for the previous year (30 Sept. 2014: 133 million Euros). The order book volume on 30 Sept. 2015 improved compared to the previous year by 7 % to 128 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 120 million Euros).
Energy Management (gas, oil, electricity, heat, water) achieved 7 % higher sales of 49.1 million Euros in the first nine months (30 Sept. 2014: 45.7 million Euros). The EBIT for the segment increased by 29 % to 3.5 million Euros compared to the previous year (30 Sept. 2014: 2.7 million Euros). The electrical energy business continued the positive development with a number of important contracts for German distribution grid operators on the basis of the current PSIcontrol product release. The gas and oil business expanded its position in the Scandinavian market and implemented measures to secure its market position in Russia. In the energy trading systems business, the first virtual power plant for decentrally-generated energies and industrial energies commenced trial operations. The development of unique selling points in the fields of intraday energy trading, balancing energy market and pool controller for heterogeneous energy systems continues to be the subject of intensive efforts.
Sales in Production Management (raw materials, metals production, metal processing, logistics) during the first nine months were, at 65.6 million Euros, 8 % above the value for the previous year (30 Sept. 2014: 60.7 million Euros). The segment’s EBIT has increased by 167 % to 4.5 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 1.7 million Euros) despite continuing investments in software for raw material extraction. Extractors appear to be investing primarily in efficiency as a result of the market situation; for that reason a profitable follow-up order can be expected in 2016. The automotive and industry business is preparing for the introduction of the PSIpenta Release 9 which is based on the new group platform. After two-and-a-half years of intensive development, the new products for production data acquisition and process visualisation (PSIjscada) and the production planning system PSIjls are ready for pilot projects. The rapidly increasing demand and technologically demanding requests for Industry 4.0 are to be handled by these new products. In the steel industry, the volume of new orders with group frame contracts and standard deliveries on the basis of the group platform have continued to stabilise, especially in Europe. The Logistics business has started operations with the first warehouse system developed on the basis of the group platform and commenced with the upgrade of existing customers. The PSI “Click-Design” technology contained in the new group platform 2.12, developed over three years and successfully used in the first customer projects; with which the user interface is composed using click, drag and drop, will decrease development costs in the future and allow partners, end customers and their IT department new design possibilities.
In Infrastructure Management (transportation and security), sales were, at 21.9 million Euros, 6 % above the figure for the previous year (30 Sept. 2014: 20.7 million Euros). The segment’s EBIT decreased to –0.02 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 0.9 million Euros) as a result of the continued weak development in Southeast Asia and adjustment costs. The public transportation business increased sales and earnings and PSI Poland continued to make a positive contribution to the result.
The number of employees in the Group was increased by 5 to 1,665 compared to the same period last year (30 Sept. 2014: 1,660). An expansion of capacity at PSI Metals resulting from the acquisition of Broner Metals in the fourth quarter of 2014 has been offset by personnel cuts of ca. 40 production staff in Southeast Asia in 2015. In addition, PSI has transferred staff from the upstream to the downstream areas due to the fact that the low energy and raw material prices have shifted the demand for equipment from the beginning to the end of industrial added value processes. Cash flow from operating activities was, at 0.9 million Euros, positive, but below the figure for the previous year (30 Sept. 2014: 2.8 million Euros). In China and Southeast Asia measures for the reduction of market-specific higher working capital and currency exchange risks became markedly more intensive. Liquidity, increased to 29.4 million Euros (30 Sept. 2014: 22.7 million Euros), continues to serve sales financing.
PSI expects the good development in the downstream areas of energy distribution, logistics, airport, automotive and mechanical engineering to continue in the coming quarters, primarily in western industrial countries. On the basis of the good capacity, orders and demand, the management continues to be optimistic – despite the currency effects and the challenges in the BRIC states – that the annual target of an EBIT of 11 million Euros formulated in the annual report will be achieved and that the start of 2016 will see double-digit growth in new orders and sales.
On the basis of its own software products, PSI AG develops and integrates complete solutions for energy management (gas, oil, electricity, heat, energy trading), production management (mining, metals, automotive, mechanical engineering, logistics) and infrastructure management for transport and safety. PSI was founded in 1969 and employs 1,700 persons worldwide.